Architecture – Armenia

The 8^th Edition of the BSEC Month of Culture has just been launched!

We embark on our month-long cultural journey, dedicating the first post to Armenia, host country of the BSEC Chairmanship-in-Office for the second semester 2024.

As 2024 is the first year of celebrating the International Day of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (17 October), we start by presenting the Tradition of blacksmithing in Gyumri, which was inscribed on UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2023.

Blacksmithing is the process of creating and repairing iron objects. It has played a primary role in the local identity of the Armenian city of Gyumri. Despite the practice nearly disappearing in the country in the mid-twentieth century, it has survived in Gyumri, where inhabitants continue to preserve existing items, such as window lattices, fences, gates, doors, candlesticks and chandeliers, as part of their daily life.

Today, blacksmiths, some of whom are fifth- or sixth-generation experts, play an active role in safeguarding the tradition of urban blacksmithing. They transmit the practice informally within their families, passing on the skills to their children and grandchildren. In addition, blacksmithing is formally transmitted through community museums and two specialised educational institutions, the Gyumri Fine Arts Academy and the Gyumri Craftsmanship College No 1.

As blacksmithing is a key part of the city of Gyumri’s architectural identity, it can be seen in both the interior and exterior of private and public buildings, and it is associated with the values of diligence and fair work.

♦ Watch the following video to learn more.

♦ Sources & photographs taken from: https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/tradition-of-blacksmithing-in-gyumri-01967

♦ Photographs: © Ministry of Science, Culture and Sport of the Republic of Armenia

#ICBSS #MoC2024 #CultureBSEC #Armenia #Architecture